


loving richie

by getawaycar



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Bad Parents Maggie & Wentworth Tozier, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Beverly Marsh Knows Everything, Bisexual Beverly Marsh, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Boys Kissing, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Male Character, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Oblivious Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, just cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:51:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17476463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getawaycar/pseuds/getawaycar
Summary: eddie kaspbrak and richie tozier throughout the years. just two dudes being the cutest soulmates.





	1. Chapter 1

eddie kaspbrak likes to consider himself as a smart guy. well, at least as smart as you can be when you're 8. that's why he doesn't get why he's about to do what he's about to do.

"get off him! why don't you go pick on someone your own size?!" eddie shouts at henry bowers, which is not something you should do unless you have a serious death wish.

he didn't have to do that, he knew it, but it was like there was something burning in his gut telling him that he should, and for some insane reason he just went with it. it was a sunny summer afternoon when he decided to go to the park, and after a few hours of trying to convince his overprotective mother to let him go, when he got there, he was just looking for a good time. not fighting bullies, that's for sure. but there he was, shouting at henry bowers because he was beating up richie tozier.

richie wasn't eddie's best friend - if he were, then it'd actually make sense to stand up for him like he was - , no, richie was actually just his classmate, a colleague, they never really even talked before but... he seemed nice, he guessed. well, his clothes were always dirty, his hair looked like a rat's nest, he never wore matching socks and his glasses were way too big. but he was funny. and he was sweet to eddie the few times they had interacted. it's not like they were friends or anything though, and that's why eddie didn't know why he was putting himself at risk for this kid.

he saw henry look down at him with pure anger in his eyes, a look that said "how dare you even talk to me", and suddenly realized how bad the situation was. henry was taller than him, much taller. and older. eddie was small boy, delicate as his mother would've said, so even to a kid his age he'd already be in disadvantage, and to henry bowers who was two years older than him... oh well. it was bad.

"what did you say to me, you little piece of shi-" henry stopped himself when he saw the police car pass by the park they were at, windows down and sitting behind the steering wheel, a very angry butch bowers.

"henry! i can see you! get your ass over here! you were supposed to be at summer school, you dumbfuck!"

henry's eyes shifted drastically from anger to fear, he suddenly let go of richie tozier and gave a quick enraged look to both him and eddie before running off to his dad's car.

the small boy who was just tossed on the floor, looked up and saw that the even smaller boy who stood still in front of him, a look of shock in his face, looking like he was trying to put all the pieces together and understand what had just happened "thanks, man... i owe you one. why did you even do that for?" richie said while getting up from the dirty ground, not bothering to clean off the sand on his shirt and shorts.

<"um, it's okay, you don't owe me anything, honestly i don't even know why i did it but... i guess we got lucky" eddie said giggling nervously at the fact that they got away with it.

"that's right! can't believe it! you know he's gonna be after our asses now though, huh?"

"isn't he always after our asses?" and they both laugh at that.

"good point." richie smiled at him. it was a cute smile. a cute 8 year old innocent boy who just got saved by another cute 8 year old boy smile. "i'm richie by the way, richie tozier. i don't know if you know me, we're in the same class but i don't think we've talked before for some reason? anyways... eddie, right?"

eddie felt his heart racing, for some reason he couldn't figure out why he seemed to really want richie to like him. it's not like he has many friends anyway, he has bill and that's it. it would be fun to have someone else to play with from now and then. "yeah, eddie kaspbrak, that's me. guess we never really introduced ourselves."

"kaspbrak. eds. i like it." richie said smiling widely, he liked giving people nicknames.

"eddie. not eds."

"well... it was nice to meet you, eds. i gotta go now... see you at school?" eddie rolled his eyes at the nickname in a playful way.

and maybe it wasn't such an insane idea, saving a boy he barely even knew from the cruel hands of henry bowers. hey, at least he made a new friend. and he was cute. and nice.

"see ya, richie."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're 14.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiii... i didn't even know if i was going to continue this but i felt like it so here it goes. i have like 657483 other projects coming and just so much to do irl, i really haven't had time for this. anyways, if anyone's reading i hope you like it :) please comment with constructive criticism, this is the first time i publish a fic!! also have u guys watched stranger things?? let's talk about it!! (also: it's 2 in the morning and this isn't edited so)

eddie was fourteen when he realized that maybe he was a little different from other kids. he had just sat down at his usual lunch table and couldn't help but overhear the conversation that was already going on between his friends.

  
to put it in a simple way they were talking about boobs. you know, girl's chests. for some reason it made eddie feel really uncomfortable and he couldn't help but to feel like he just didn't fit in with the rest of his friends who seemed to enjoy the topic very much. they were now debating on whether big or small boobs were the best and eddie felt the impulse of screaming "neither, dumbasses!".

  
"small titties are valid! i love small titties. in fact, i love all titties!" beverly marsh, his redhead friend, jumped in on the discussion that was previously only between the guys.

  
"y-you love t-ti-titties?" bill asked, incredulously

.  
"yeah, so what?" beverly looked at him with a smirk on her face as if she was challenging him to see what he'd say next.

  
"i-i don't know i me-mean...y-you're a g-girl-"

  
"very well observed!" she winked at him and the guys chanted 'oooo' as if bill could get even redder.

  
"w-what i m-mean is th-that y-you are s...s-sup-pposed to find th-that disgu-ss-sting!"

  
"and who exactly told you that, my dear friend?" richie stepped in and when bill failed to answer the question, he spoke again "well, let me tell you that there's absolutely nothing wrong with bev here appreciating tits! i mean, who wouldn't?" eddie felt to urge to say "me!".

  
he didn't know what it meant but... he didn't really look at girls the same way his friends did. they were all being so girl crazy all the time and it was hard to keep up. he didn't know if there was something wrong with him but whenever he looked at girls he didn't think of the things he heard his friends talk about. i mean, yes, he could appreciate when a girl was pretty. like beverly, for example. she was gorgeous and he could tell. the only thing was... he didn't really want to kiss her or touch her in any way. maybe he was just not there yet? surely in a year or two he will want to kiss girls... right?

  
"thank you, richard. and to be clear, i do not only appreciate the female body but i also _love_ everything about girls."

  
the table went silent. did that mean what it had sounded like? was beverly implying that she liked liked girls? and therefore she was... _queer_? eddie quivered at the thought. his mother had told him all the terrible things about queers, how dirty and immoral they were, how damaging and dangerous they could be to our society, but... all he could really think about was that beverly marsh was nothing of that sort. she was one of the best people he knew. the only girl he ever wanted to talk to. a loser, for sure. but a loser like him.

  
"but you kissed bill when you were younger... i remember that. doesn't that mean you like boys?" ben suddenly joined the conversation looking a bit confused.

  
"well, ben, no. the fact that a girl has kissed boys in the past doesn't mean she can't be queer. the same thing with a guy. people are allowed to experiment. not to mention that we live in a world where being queer is not the norm, which means that most of us are at least gonna try to be heterosexual. mostly out of fear." beverly spoke so eloquently she could've been giving an educational speech - which, honestly, was kind of what was happening there.

  
the guys were finally catching on, digesting her words and trying to understand what she was saying. they weren't intolerant, no, but coming from families that were so conservative, it was a challenge to learn it all that at once. even though it was all new for them, they seemed excited to hear more about it. before they could ask any more questions though, beverly spoke:

  
"but... that's not really my case, no." she suddenly sounded a little more hesitant than before, talking slowly and making sure to get the boys' reactions before speaking again "you know you can _like both,_ right? i made a friend when i was staying at my aunt's house in hawkins, her name was max. she taught me all about bisexuality. the world isn't black or white, there's so much that we don't know out there. but if there's something that i certainly know is that we can definitely like both boys and girls. and girls can like just girls too. boys can like boys. and there's nothing wrong or out of the ordinary with that."

  
ok, so eddie had never heard of that before. i mean, he knew queers existed and stuff but first of all, it just seemed something worlds apart from him. like something that he'd probably never see in his life, never have to deal with. and second, he never would've thought that it'd be something that his friends would think of as so normal and socially acceptable. well, truthfully speaking, being the losers club and everything they usually didn't care about much to be "socially acceptable", but still. he didn't really see it coming. and even though he didn't really understand it back then, when beverly said the last words and looked at him with empathy in her eyes, eddie felt comfort. she was so brave. he loved her so much.

* * *

  
richie tozier was only fourteen but he was pretty sure he had his shit figured out. he was a nerd and he fucking owned it. he loved comic books, horror movies, rock bands, hot chicks and his best friends: the losers club. but most of all, he loved eddie.

  
eddie was just special, ok? don't ask about it, he didn't know why but it just had always been that way. from the first time they talked to each other when tiny and fragile (not really) eddie had stood up for him, defending richie from henry bowers, to now, as both boys biked home after school side by side.

 

"so... what did you think about what beverly said at lunch today?" eddie asked, looking like he was lost in his own train of thoughts.

"i thought she was brave. really brave. and i'm also not surprised at all." richie said with a grin and eddie looked at him, confused.

"how?? did she tell you before?"

"no, not really but bev is my best friend. i just know her. we know everything about each other." eddie looked down and pouted at him "what is it?" richie asked while lifting his chin.

"i thought i was your best friend.." and richie laughed. he laughed! laughed when eddie was showing him vulnerability.

" _baby_ ," eddie felt a sudden rush of heat to his face "you and i... well, we aren't best friends." eddie was making a confused face now, "we're more" but he was still looking at him puzzled "we, eds, _we are_ _soulmates_."

that took a bit longer to respond to.

"isn't that supposed to be something romantic?" he nervously asked, feeling something he couldn't quite name it.

"only if you want to." 

richie said and eddie suddenly realized they had already arrived at his best friend's (soulmate's?) house. richie then did something that nor he or eddie expected: before leaving to enter his house, he looked down at the small boy next to him who wore a bright pink shirt and surprisingly clean white shorts for a kid his age, and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. he didn't know why he did it. it just felt right. he gave the boy one last look and left.


End file.
